After filling in for Brian Williams during his suspension, Lester Holt made his official debut as the permanent “Nightly News” host on Monday.
And along with covering the important news of the day, including calls for the removal of the Confederate flag from the South Carolina state capitol and Pete Rose betting on baseball games, Holt had a message for viewers and his predecessor.
“Before we go, as of tonight, this program has a new name — and I am honored to say, a new anchor,” Holt said. “Your loyalty and viewership during a difficult time has been appreciated by all on this program.”
As of Monday, the broadcast is now titled “NBC Nightly News With Lester Holt.”
“Thanks to my friend and colleague, Brian Williams, and his kind words of support. We hope to see all of you each and every night,” Holt continued.
“I’m Lester Holt. From all of us at NBC News, thanks for watching and goodnight,” he said to close out the show.
Holt had been manning the anchor desk since Williams was suspended in February for telling an untrue story about an Iraq helicopter incident.
NBC announced last week that Holt would be the permanent host. Williams, meanwhile, will remain under the NBC News umbrella but has been demoted to sister cable network MSNBC, where he will serve as a breaking news anchor.